


Treasured Heart

by sorayai



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: F/M, Female Warrior of Light - Freeform, OC, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-28
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-12 21:40:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29765994
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sorayai/pseuds/sorayai
Summary: The Warrior of Light grapples with her feelings for the Crystal Exarch, knowing in her heart that one day she must return to the Source without him. She feels that it is best for everyone else if she does not allow her own desires to interfere with her duty as the Warrior of Light, and yet she cannot help but give voice to the words in her heart to a friend--only, G'raha Tia overhears what she has to say, and. . .
Relationships: G'raha Tia | Crystal Exarch/Original Character(s), G'raha Tia | Crystal Exarch/Warrior of Light
Kudos: 5





	Treasured Heart

  
  
"Today I've brought you all some fresh tiger meat," the Warrior of Light, Beth Draconic, said with a smile as a crowd of tamed dracos flocked to her. "You're all so cute." She left them to their meal and looked up at the afternoon sky of Lakeland, her smile slowly turning to a frown. "I'm going to miss this place a lot..." One of the dracos crept up to her and nuzzled one of her legs affectionately. "I'll still come back to visit you, don't worry."  
  
Once there was naught left of the tiger's carcass but a pile of bones, Beth sat down as the group of seven dracos happily rested around her. Thanks to her natural affinity with dragons, she could communicate with them--the ability extended even to draconics of other shards. Although these Dracos were not quite as intelligent or conversational as the Dravanians whom she had held so dearly to her heart, she still had a soft spot for them. "Do you think if I asked the Exarch, he'd let all of you stay in the Crystarium...? I worry that there won't be anyone to feed you when I am not around."  
  
The smallest Draco of the bunch whined. _We can hunt for ourselves, but you spoil us.  
  
_A larger Draco curled himself at Beth's feet, murmuring. _We shall make due on our own. Our kind does not get on well with them. You need not worry for us.  
  
_If she was honest with herself, the real reason she wanted them to live in the Crystarium so that a "piece" of her would always remain within the Exarch's reach. After spending some time battling with her thoughts and feelings, she stood up. The dracos watched her curiously, sensing her dismay. _Is there someone annoying you? We can tear them up for you._ One of them said with a growl, flashing her sharp teeth, and the others lifted their heads in agreement.  
  
"Hmm... There's just a lot on my mind. It's been...a difficult journey. Well, I came out to get my mind off of it, so I don't want to talk about it much."  
  
The dracos snorted and shook their wings. _A good hunt always raises the spirit. If there is something you want, seize it with your teeth and make it yours!  
  
_Beth laughed woefully and gave each of the dracos an affectionate pat. "I promised I'd visit the amaros today in Il Mheg. I'll drop by again before I return to the Crystarium. How does fish sound tonight?"  
  
_Next time, we hunt prey for you. Biggest tigers! Biggest fish! You will see! We know you have appetite of draconic matriarch, so we will hunt many!_ The largest draco of the bunch roared, unfurling his wings.  
  
Amused by the small dragons' eagerness to cheer her up, Beth laughed and spent a little more time with them in Lakeland before making her way to Wolekdorf, the home of the sentient amaros.

=========

The Crystal Exarch was fumbling around in the Crystal Tower's kitchen, preparing a smorgasbord of sandwiches and other small lunch items. He was greatly indebted to the Scions and the Sisters of Light, though one in particular seemed to be making herself scarce as of late. He felt his heart ache whenever she would retire early or make an excuse to be absent from her room every time he intended to visit her; it was at a point that he realized it was no coincidence. _Whatever the case may be, I wish to make amends with her... Being unable to see nor speak with her has been weighing heavily upon me. I would rather not trouble the Scions with my worries... thus I must find a way to speak with her, alone. Today. It must be today._  
  
The Mystel gathered a plethora of ingredients, intending to make all of Beth's favorite foods at once in an attempt to at least draw her out of hiding--if there was one thing this Warrior of Light loved, it was good food. Just thinking of her smiling as she ate it made his tail wag back and forth unconsciously underneath his robe. _Ah... But I do hope I will be able to see her. It is doubtful she yet remains within her chamber in the Pendants... Perhaps I should..._ He pondered the thought of watching her in the Ocular and going to her.  
  
Somehow, it felt wrong.  
  
He had often observed the Sisters of Light in the Ocular along their journey in order to help them, or to plan his next move, but for something so personal... it pricked at his heart--it was _selfish._ He hadn't shared these thoughts, these feelings, with anyone. There was a time he came to Nayia to ask for her help, but the words left him even before he could think to speak. The Exarch recalled the recent happening with Lyna, who had been avoiding him for an unknown reason... but it was the Sisters of Light who helped them talk it out.  
  
_Indeed, it must be... on the topic of returning to the Source. All of the Scions have forged bonds here over the time they've spend in the First..._ Lost in thought, the Crystal Exarch accidentally sliced his hand with the knife he had been using to cut chicken. He pulled his hand away at once and watched the blood drip down his skin, and with a sigh, he waved his crystalline hand and healed the wound. _...I, too, will miss them all dearly._  
  
_Especially..._  
  
Once the feast was complete, the Exarch managed to fit everything neatly inside a large picnic basket--this time, it was even larger than the last one he had used when making an array of sandwiches for the Sisters of Light. Thinking of it made him feel wistful, remembering a time when he had to distance himself from them. He smiled to himself as he picked up the basket, leaving the Crystal Tower and making his way out into the Crystarium.  
  
It was a bright, bustling afternoon. The breeze was warm and invigorating, and the townspeople greeted him with their usual energy and cheer as he walked the streets of the small city. It was strange to walk around without his hood now, but it filled his heart with joy to unseal the gates of his lost identity after so many years. Despite knowing better, he made his way to the Pendants and surely enough, both Beth and Nayia had left the room already. _Ah yes, I do think I remember Alphinaud saying that he was called to assist her with something or other in Lakeland...  
_  
As he strolled through the marketplace of the Crystarium, he thought of how the Sisters of Light and the Scions brought together the whole of Norvrandt in order to overcome the final Lightwarden. His heart swelled with pride to be able to call them his friends--though they were truly friends to all. _Where could she have gone, I wonder.  
  
_The Exarch stood within the Aetheryte plaza with basket in hand as he glanced up at the sky again, the wind combing through his hair and sending his robes aflutter. Imagining her face with a certain longing, he did not immediately notice that an amaro had landed before him.  
  
"There you are," the amaro said softly.  
  
"Hm? Ah... You are from Wolekdorf, are you not? Is aught amiss, my friend?" The Exarch asked, offering a gentle smile as his scarlet eyes fixed the amaro.  
  
"Come with me. There's someone who wants to see you." The amaro fluffed up his wings and nudged the Exarch with his snout.  
  
"Oh... To Wolekdorf, you mean? I would be happy to join you, but at a later time. I'm afraid I wish to take care of something first." The Exarch reached out a hand and stroked the amaros head gently.  
  
"You want to see her too, don't you?" The amaro looked pleased, raising his wings slightly.  
  
"Her?" The Exarch tilted his head and blinked slowly. "Whom is it you are referring to...?" _Surely it could not be Beth. Although... she did say she had grown quite fond of the amaros living in Wolekdorf... Dare I hope to meet her there...?_ He pressed his lips together.   
  
The amaro nudged the Exarch again before prodding him with his snout. "I'll take you there. So come with me. Hurry, hurry. Let's go."  
  
"Wait--"  
  
The amaro continued nudging him until he was cornered against a wall, and he laughed. "All right. Take me to Wolekdorf." Careful not to drop the basket, the Exarch climbed onto the amaro's back, who instantly took off into a run and flew up into the air.  
  
_Quite anxious, isn't he?_ The Crystal Exarch could not help but smile to feel the wind rush against his face. It made him recall the conversation he had with Beth in Kholusia, before the fateful battle with Innocence. _A moment later and that would have marked our last goodbye. ...If my final memory was of your crying face, I may have held some regret in my heart... but it would have paled in comparison to the relief I felt at knowing you would survive. That calamity would be prevented. . ._  
  
_...yet now that the truth has finally been laid bare, I find myself struggling with the desire to hold you ever closer._

=========

"...and that was how the battle against Nidhogg reached its conclusion."  
  
Beth sat in Wolekdorf, surrounded by the amaros who lived there as she told them stories of her adventures with Nayia. After meeting Seto for the first time, it had become a routine to return every so often to spend time with the gentle creatures who had grown lonely.  
  
"To hear your tales makes me feel as though I am young again," Seto mused. "It is kind of you to return so often, to spend time with us all. Everyone here has become fond of you, and wishes only for your happiness. Lately, you have been troubled... and from what you tell us, we think that it is because of the Crystal Exarch."  
  
"Haha... What?" Beth smiled sadly.   
  
"You care for him. Maybe even as more than a friend. Many of us had owners who fell in love... and they say you are just like them." The large amaro peered down at her kindly. "But you are closing off your heart. It pains us to see you like this. We want to help."  
  
"N-No... I mean..." The Elezen lowered her head and folded her hands. "...Of course I will miss him. I will miss all of you, and so many others from here. But I have to go back, I can't stay... and I can't let my own wishes get in the way of what I have to do. Nayia and I are a team... and the Scions... and everyone. I-I mean, they're counting on me. I can't let myself--my feelings--control me. And I can't tell the Exarch what I feel about him, still, after all these years... it would only be a burden to him. I can't do that to him. I don't want to hurt him... He..." Beth closed her eyes. "...he is like my treasure box. Inside that treasure box, my heart will always remain. Even if we're apart, even if I never tell him... my heart will always be with him. He's alive...he's okay. That's... enough for me."  
  
"Is it truly?" Seto asked as a tiny droplet fell from Beth's eyes.  
  
"...Yeah... It has to be."  
  
"Your feelings are never a burden to me," a familiar voice came from nearby, and Beth froze. An amaro waltz straight into the center of Wolekdorf, carrying the Crystal Exarch on his back. The Mystel hopped off of the amaro, picnic basket in hand, and watched Beth from a distance. "Pray forgive me, I did not mean to eavesdrop on your conversation." He felt his heart racing to overhear her words--a confession of love, a secret that was meant to be locked away.   
  
Seto looked towards the amaro that had brought the Exarch. "Cloudtopper. You brought him here?"  
  
Cloudtopper ruffled his feathers. "I had to... she reminds me so much of my owner Maria. Maria was in love with a man... but she never told him. She never told him! And then he went off to become a soldier...and he never came back. Maria cried so much. So much. I couldn't let it happen again. I couldn't bear it... Beth is our friend. I know we all want her to be happy."  
  
Seto shook his head. "That is true... but this is..."  
  
Beth stood up without a word, and ran off.   
  
"Wait--!" The Crystal Exarch raised a hand, but she sprinted even faster. His shoulders and ears drooped as he sighed. "Perhaps... I made a mistake. I truly did not intend to overhear a private conversation..." _But now that I know, I cannot stay silent. This has only reinforced my desire to lay my heart bare to you..._  
  
"I'm sorry for what Cloudtopper did," Seto said mournfully. "Cloudtopper, you should go and apologize to her...maybe she will come back to us."  
  
"...No," the Exarch spoke up. "I will find her. This is my plight to remedy. Cloudtopper, you have my thanks for carrying me here. I will not let your good will be in vain, my friend." He spent a moment stroking Cloudtopper's head before going off after Beth, though with his body as it was, he would never catch her if she decided to keep running for a long period of time. . .

=========

Beth had stopped near the Sextuplet Shallow, in a space where she could watch the sky and observe the Fae castle.  
  
"He heard everything," she took out her claymore and stabbed it into the ground, leaning towards it. "There is no running from it now." _I didn't want to run away from him, but I was so startled that I would have made a fool of myself even more had I stayed. What should I say...?_ The truth was that she had wanted it all along--she _wanted_ him to know, but she just could not bring herself to tell him. Relief mixed with worry, and the Warrior of Light felt her emotions overwhelm her before long.  
  
_...I want to be honest with him._  
  
"There you are..." The Exarch's weary voice came from nearby. Beth turned slowly, guiltily, and saw him standing there. He looked quite exhausted as he tightly gripped the handle of the picnic basket, supporting himself with his staff. There was a soft, warm smile on his lips that completely shattered her guard as he regarded her with some worry.  
  
"...G'raha Tia."  
  
His ears waggled and he averted his gaze for a moment. "Allow me to apologize again for causing you such distress. I--"  
  
"No, it wasn't you..." Beth returned her blade to its place on her back, not facing him. "I just didn't know how to tell you. I still don't..."  
  
"Pray listen to what I must say," the Crystal Exarch took slow, deliberate steps towards her. "Know that your feelings are returned, fully and completely. They have not changed since the day I sealed myself within the Crystal Tower."  
  
Her eyes widened slightly and she pursed her lips as he approached, feeling dubious and vulnerable as he reached to open the box that was meant to be locked forevermore. "Stop. Stop it, Exarch."  
  
"I cannot. I will not allow this moment to slip by," he said, taking his chances. "So long have I yearned to lay my heart bare to you. Now that I know what you feel and think, I could not remain silent. Even if it is but for a fleeting moment, I wish to be with you... Beth."  
  
The Warrior of Light clenched her hands. "...It's impossible."  
  
"Is it truly?" The Mystel's ears drooped as he smiled sadly. "If your wish is to remain at a distance from me, I would of course honor it..." _Even though becoming distant from you once again would hurt more than words can say, it would be far worse to know I am burdening you. I merely wish to understand... even if, even if we cannot remain together... I still...  
  
_Beth turned slightly, watching the Exarch in the side of her eye as his robe rustled in the wind. The moment she spent observing him felt like an eternity; she saw his tired form supported by the staff as he hid his pain behind a soft smile. She saw how he held the picnic basket at his side, waiting, hoping to get just a little closer... and even though they were hardly a yalm away, it felt as though a gaping chasm separated them.  
  
Her heart ached as another moment passed and he slowly moved to turn, believing himself to be a nuisance. Yet as soon as she saw him blink away what looked like a solitary tear, she lost her resolve to remain silent. The Warrior of Light whirled around and dashed towards the Crystal Exarch and embraced him, nearly knocking him off balance. "I never wanted to hurt you, G'raha. That's why I wanted to keep it a secret. I can't bear to see you looking so sad." She squeezed him tightly. _What happens now? Now that I've told you everything, now that I can no longer run away from these feelings._  
  
Sighing softly, the Crystal Exarch returned her embrace and closed his eyes as he rested his head against her shoulder. "I would not wish for you to lock your feelings away like that. Whatever pain there is to be had, let me share it with you. Allow me remain at your side...for as long as you are here."  
  
"That is why it is so difficult," she felt everything spilling out at once. "My heart wants to remain here in the First, with you. Losing you once was almost too much to bear, but I was able to move forward because I knew it was your wish, your dream. Leaving you now..."  
  
"...Aye, I feel much the same. But, listen," he gently pulled away from her and raised his eyes to meet her gaze. "I wish not to spend the time we have together like this," he slowly lifted a hand to her face and caressed her gently. "Lamenting and allowing you to suffer. I sought you out in order to..." The Exarch's ears waggled again as drew his hand away and raised up the basket. "...to offer you lunch, in hopes that you would smile again."  
  
Beth blinked at him. "You came all the way here for that?"   
  
"Indeed," he smiled bashfully before looking up at the castle of Lyhe Ghiah. "I yearn to enjoy this peace that you Sisters of Light fought so hard to achieve for the First, and I can imagine no better way to do so than with you." _But rest assured, my friend. I do not intend to remain behind while you return to the Source and become swept up in the tide of war once again. If there is a means, a path through the stars that leads me to your side... I shall find it, no matter how impossible it may seem._ "That being said, would you care to join me for lunch?"  
  
"Y-Yeah, I'd love to," the Elezen woman smiled awkwardly. "But shouldn't we return to Lakeland, at least? Being so far from the Crystal Tower... I can tell you are very exhausted already."  
  
"Ah, no... I am fine," he turned his head slightly. "I don't want the food I prepared for you to become any colder than it already has. So, shall we rest here, then?"  
  
"Hmm," Beth crossed her arms. "It's all right if the food is cold. I know it will be delicious, anyway. But I can't in good conscience let you push yourself any farther because of me. So," she suddenly lifted the Crystal Exarch up into her arms, carrying him bridal style. "I shall carry you back to Lakeland myself, Exarch G'raha Tia." She gave him a wide, playful smile as his face flushed.  
  
Startled and flustered, G'raha Tia nearly dropped his staff and the basket both and glanced away from her. "M-Must you do this? I am more than capable of walking to Lakeland on my own." His ears hung down as he soon closed his eyes, overwhelmed with embarrassment.  
  
"Perhaps," she said, holding him a bit closer as she began her journey to Lakeland. "But you have brought this upon yourself. You've opened that which was meant to remained sealed forever... so allow me this moment with you, G'raha; this moment that I have longed for since I watched you disappear into the Crystal Tower."  
  
  
  
  


_...even if we once again become separated by a sea of stars and the fires of war, my treasure will ever remain yours, G'raha Tia._


End file.
